In D.c., Fashion Heads West

Cowboy Boots, Stetsons De Rigueur At Bush's Inaugural Bash

January 19, 2001|By GREG MORAGO; Courant Staff Writer

WASHINGTON — The need to belong is a powerful force. It's driving men who have never worn a cowboy hat to plunk down $200 for a sassy Stetson. It's compelling women to ditch glamorous evening pumps for a $350 pair of sleek lizard boots. It's got many people thinking of shiny silver buckles, chunky turquoise bolo ties and fringe galore.

Anything to belong. Anything to smack of the West; to look and feel a little Texan.

This is no time to be shy. Bring on the spurs! Sing out ``The Yellow Rose of Texas''!

Washington is getting mighty duded-up this weekend to party with the good ol' boy from Crawford, Texas, who's fixin' to be the biggest player in the world's political rodeo. That means dressing the part for Saturday's inauguration, where 10-gallon hats will line Pennsylvania Avenue. And it absolutely requires sporting western threads and leather to tonight's biggest hoedown: the Texas State Society's Black Tie & Boots Ball.

``Everybody's buying boots,'' said Sandy Thompson, the owner of Red River Western Wear on Pennsylvania Avenue, the only country-western clothing store in the city. ``A lot of people are going to the balls and need new boots. We have some who have never worn them before. It's been quite time-consuming trying to educate people what to wear and how to wear it.''

At western clothing shops throughout the metropolitan area, the past few weeks have been boom time for cowboy boot and hat sales.

``As soon as that [Florida vote] count was completed, it started,'' said Jean Wagner of JW's Western Wear in Waldorf, Md. ``It's been a busy two to three weeks. It's been fun.''

The rush for western wear has kept Shaun Corvett of Boot Hill Western Stores in Fairfax, Va., busy for weeks. ``They all wait until the last minute,'' said Corvett who has sold about 20 pairs of Nicona boots -- at $200 a pop -- over the past two weeks. ``I'm definitely pleased with it.''

``Everyone wants to fit into the western style,'' said Jerry Thompson, who runs Red River with his wife, Sandy. ``Right now it's pretty much of a frenzy.''

The store has been doing good business in lizard boots, which cost anywhere from $245 to $350. The Cadillac of boots -- American alligator -- goes for $600 a pair. Red River has sold at least 3 pair for inauguration festivities.

The area's boot retailers are quick to dispute the notion that a new pair of boots will kill your feet until they are suitably broken in. ``That's absolutely false,'' Wagner said. ``If a person is properly fit in a boot, they will not hurt a first-time wearer.''

They are just as quick to point out that boots look terribly smart with formal wear (for both men and women) and that western wear isn't as exaggeratedly flashy as most people imagine.

``It's not the Annie Oakley and Gene Autry look,'' Wagner said.

Take the Thompsons, for instance. They scored tickets to the sold-out Black Tie & Boots Ball tonight -- he's going in black ostrich boots with formal wear, she in gold lame boots to match her gold evening gown. Sandy, from Oklahoma, and Jerry, from Texas, said they'll fit right in with all the Texans -- the showier, the better.

``They've come to D.C. and they don't care how conservative this town is,'' Sandy Thompson said. ``They're going to have a good time, dress the way they want to dress and D.C. better get used to it.''

Everyone's getting into the western act. Even Nutmegger Gov. John G. Rowland will be wearing boots to tonight's Texan hullabaloo. ``I've got them on right now,'' he said.

And will he also be sporting his Texas-size cowboy hat?

No, the boots are enough, Rowland said

``This urban cowboy thing only goes so far,'' he said. ``In Connecticut, you can get away with it. Here, there are going to be real cowboys.''